Cone-shaped jet filling tube and filling machine equipped therewith

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a filling tube for dispensing a liquid into a container, wherein the tube ( 10 ) comprises an orifice ( 36, 40 ) for dispensing the liquid which conditions a cone-shaped jet, and wherein the tube comprises an axial cannula provided with a gas discharge conduit ( 24 ) emerging inside the space defined by the cone-shaped jet. The invention is characterised in that the cannula comprises a gas intake pipe ( 28 ) which emerges inside the space defined by the cone-shaped jet and which sprays a gas stream which flows substantially parallel to the liquid cone-shaped jet, on the inner side thereof.

[0001] The invention relates to the area of filling spouts, inparticular those intended for machines for filling bottles.

[0002] Making filling spouts that package a conical or “umbrella-shaped”jet of a product is already known. Used for filling bottles, theyespecially make it possible to do so such that the product will beprojected very rapidly from the spout output against the internal sidewall of the bottle. Thus, the product is introduced into the bottle byrunning along the internal wall and not by being projected directly tothe bottom of the bottle. In this way, the bottle filling is carried outwith as little foam formation as possible, which makes it possible toincrease the filling rate and thus to decrease the time necessary forfilling a bottle.

[0003] Arranging an axial hollow needle in such a spout type is alsoknown, which makes it possible to evacuate the air initially containedin the bottle without disturbing the conical jet in any way.

[0004] Two examples of spouts designed in this way are found in thedocuments U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,444 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,441. Thesespouts make it possible to decrease, in a significant way, the fillingtimes for a bottle even if the product being bottled is a carbonatedliquid, such as sodas or beer or a liquid having a tendency to foam suchas milk or fruit juice.

[0005] Another problem that can be encountered in the course of fillinga bottle is that of contact of the product with ambient air. In factnumerous products, in particular beer and fruit juices, can bedeteriorated by oxygen. Still in the course of filling with a spout ofclassic design, the product is greatly exposed to air. Thus the oxygentends to incorporate into the product, which limits its storage time.

[0006] Thus the goal of the invention is to propose a new design for afilling spout which, while maintaining the qualities of the spoutsdescribed above, also makes it possible to greatly limit, or eliminate,contact of the bottled product with air.

[0007] In accordance with this goal, the invention proposes a fillingspout for delivering a liquid into a container, of the type in which thespout comprises an orifice for delivery of the liquid which forms anumbrella jet and of the type in which the spout comprises an axialhollow needle equipped with an evacuation duct for gas which opens intothe interior of the space surrounded by the umbrella jet, and whichprojects a flow of gas that flows essentially in parallel to theumbrella jet of the liquid, from the inside of same.

[0008] According to other characteristics of the invention:

[0009] the gas supply duct opens into the interior of the spacedelimited by the umbrella jet in the form of an annular opening;

[0010] at the level of its opening end, the gas supply duct comprises adeflecting surface that is essentially conical;

[0011] the evacuation duct opens axially at the center of the annularopening of the gas supply duct, which opens axially at the center of theorifice for delivery of the product, which is essentially annular;

[0012] the duct supply gas is supplied with a gas that is neutral withrespect to the product to be delivered;

[0013] the jet of product presents an axial rotation component;

[0014] the spout comprises an annular chamber for causing rotation, inwhich the project is injected with a tangential speed component, thechamber for causing rotation being extended axially by an annular duct,of which the opening end forms the orifice for delivery of the product;

[0015] the chamber for causing rotation is connected to the annular ductby a funnel-shaped surface;

[0016] the axial hollow needle passes through the chamber for causingrotation axially;

[0017] The invention also relates to a machine for filling containers,characterized in that it comprises at least one filling station equippedwith a filling spout that incorporates any one of the precedingcharacteristics.

[0018] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will beseen from reading the detailed description that follows, as well as fromviewing the attached drawings, in which:

[0019]FIG. 1 is a schematic axial cross section view of a filling spoutaccording to the instructions in the invention, the spout beingillustrated in operation in the course of filling a bottle;

[0020]FIG. 2 is a reduced scale view in transverse cross sectionaccording to line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

[0021] The filling spout 10 illustrated in the figures is mostparticularly intended for filling bottles 12 with narrow necks. Forexample, it could be used equally well for glass bottles or bottles ofplastic material such as terephthalic polyethylene (PET). Naturally sucha spout will preferably be used for manufacturing filling machines withmultiple spouts, for example of the rotating carousel type.

[0022] The terms for orientation such as “high,” “low,” “upper,”“lower,” etc. that are used for the description of the figurescorrespond to the example illustrated and must not be interpreted asbeing limitations to the scope of the invention.

[0023] Spout 10 illustrated on the figures essentially contains a mainhollow body 14, essentially with revolution around axis A1, which hastwo coaxial tubes, an internal tube 16 and an external tube 18, passingthrough all of it axially.

[0024] The main body 14 thus delimits an internal volume with tubes 16,18 passing through it axially. The main body 14, which is represented asa single piece, may also be made up of several pieces to facilitatemanufacturing. An upper cover 20 which closes the internal volume in asealed manner toward the top and which supports the tubes 16, 18, topsit.

[0025] The cover 20 has an internal borehole that passes through all ofit, axially. The upper step 22 of the borehole, which opens toward thetop toward the exterior of the main body, is cylindrical along axis A1with essentially the same diameter as the external diameter of theinternal tube 16.

[0026] The interior step 24, which opens out toward the top in theinternal volume is cylindrical with axis A1, with essentially the samediameter as the external diameter of external tube 18.

[0027] The intermediate step 26, which extends axially between upperstep 22 and lower step 24, is cylindrical with axis A1 and hasessentially the same internal diameter as the external tube 18.

[0028] The upper end of the external tube 18 is engaged axially from thebottom to the top in the interior step 26 of the borehole in the cover,until it comes in contact with an annular abutment surface that delimitsthe lower step 24 of the intermediate step 26. The tube 18 is shown withlocking and with the presence of a sealing ring in such a way as toinsure, on one hand, the fastening of external tube 18 on cover 20, andon the other hand the sealing of this assembly.

[0029] Internal tube 16 is engaged, axially in the center of theexternal tube 18 in such a way as to completely cross the cover 20. Theinternal tube 20 is held with teeth across the upper step 22 of theborehole in the cover, which also insures the fastening of the internaltube 16.

[0030] As can be seen in the figures, the internal diameter of theexternal tube 18 is greater than the external diameter of the internaltube 16 in such a way that when they are mounted coaxially on cover 20,an annular space exists between the two tubes 16, 18 that forms achannel 28. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the upper end of this channel 28,which is formed by the intermediate step 26 of the bore hole in cover 20is closed due to the fact of the sealed installation of the internaltube 16 in the upper step 22 of the bore hole.

[0031] However, an intake port 30 crosses the cover radially to openinto the intermediate step 24 of the borehole and thus make it possibleto bring the channel 28 into communication with a source of liquid.

[0032] The internal volume delimited by the main body 14 essentially hasthree parts: an upper chamber for causing rotation 32, an accelerationcone 34 and an annular delivery duct 36. The chamber for causingrotation 32 has the simple shape of a ring arranged around the externaltube 18. A feed intake 38 makes it possible to introduce the product tobe bottled into the chamber 32 according to an orientation that is notpurely radial but which, on the contrary, exhibits a tangentialcomponent. Since the product is introduced into the chamber at a certainpressure, the product is pulled into a spiral circulation in thechamber, the same as the case where this pressure comes only from theflowing of the product due to gravity. If necessary, it is possible toalso give the feed input 38 a slight inclination in the verticaldirection.

[0033] The annular delivery duct 36, by which the product to be bottledruns toward the container 12, is formed around the lower part of theexternal tube 18. In the example of the embodiment illustrated, it isprovided that this part of the spout 10 penetrates into the interior ofthe neck of the container to be filled, in such a way that the duct 36has a diameter that is less than that of the rest of the main body 14.The duct 36 is delimited by a tubular cylindrical wall. To connect thechamber 32 to the duct 36, a connecting surface 34 is provided which,for purposes of simplicity, has been chosen as a tapered surface.

[0034] Naturally, the internal shapes of the main body 14 of spout 10may be optimized, e.g. as illustrated in document U.S. Pat. No.5,125,441, without going beyond the instructions in the invention bydoing so.

[0035] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the lower end of the external tube 18drops below the level of the lower end of the duct 36, thus delimitingan orifice 40 for output of the product, which is annular. In addition,the lower end of the external tube 18 flares radially toward theexterior in such a way that the external surface of the outside tubethus forms a deflector 44 which tends to project the product radiallytoward the external so that it comes in contact with the internal wallof the container, forming an umbrella jet.

[0036] The dimensions and the respective positions of the end of theexternal tube 18 and the end of the duct 36 are chosen such that thepassage section of the output orifice 40 is relatively reduced, thisbeing in order to allow retention of the liquid contained in the spoutwhen the product supply is cut off. The maximum acceptable passage crosssection necessary to avoid product leaking is determined, in particular,as a function of the intrinsic surface tension of the product.

[0037] In a comparable way, the lower end to the internal tube 16extends axially below that of the external tube 18 and the externalsurface of the end of internal tube 16 flares radially toward theoutside to form a deflection surface 46. The lower end of channel 28 isthus annular and flares radially toward the outside.

[0038] In function, the feed intake 38 of chamber 32 is connected to astorage tank of the product to be bottled, with a controlled valvemounted between. The opening and the closing of the valve can becontrolled as a function of different parameters. It may be a timecontrol that determines a fixed time period for filling which will beused for all containers. The control may be of the weight type, thedelivery of the product being interrupted when the container has reacheda predetermined weight. It may also be a matter of a feed control inwhich the rate of feed delivered by the spout is integrated in order tohave an estimate of the volume of product poured into the container. Inthe case of a volumetric machine, the product quantity to be deliveredwill be measured into an intermediate volume placed between the storagetank and the filling spout.

[0039] The intake port 30 of channel 28 supplied with gas willpreferably be connected to a source of gas that is neutral for theproduct under consideration. This neutral gas could be e.g. carbondioxide (CO2) or nitrogen (N2).

[0040] Finally, the central duct 42 delimited by the inside of thecentral tube 16 will be connected to a gas evacuation device or verysimply to the open air.

[0041] In operation, the flow of product that is injected into the bodyof the spout is thus put in rotation in chamber 32 which, in combinationwith the annular form of the output orifice 40 and with the form of thedeflection surface 44, insures that the product is delivered by thespout in the form of an umbrella jet. Since the lower part of the spoutis connected in the container or is in the immediate proximity of it,the product then comes in contact with the internal wall of thecontainer and runs along it to fill the container. A flow is obtainedthat creates very little foam, even for high feed rates.

[0042] According to the invention, the channel 28 is supplied with aneutral gas in such a way that the flow of gas flowing through the lowerend of the channel 28 opens out “below” the umbrella flow of theproduct. Because of the flared shape of the deflection surface 46, thegas flow runs essentially parallel to the flow of product into thebottle.

[0043] Thus, due to the invention, the flow of product is trapped, as itwere, between the wall of the container on the outside and the flow ofneutral gas on the inside. In this way, contact of the product with theambient area is very limited, or even completely eliminated.

[0044] Naturally the evacuation duct 42 makes possible for the gas toescape from the container gradually as the product level increases inthe container. This escape occurs preferably by way of the center of thecontainer, toward the top of the long axis A1. The evaluated gases maybe either a part of the gas initially contained in the container beforefilling, or a part of the neutral gas supplied by the duct 36.

[0045] To further limit the possibility of contact of the product withambient air, it is possible to provide the beginning of the fillingoperation with a preliminary step of flushing the container with aneutral gas. The effectiveness of such a flushing with the spoutaccording to the invention will be particularly improved by the specificoutflow due to the spout. In fact, the flow injected by the ductsupplied with gas 28 runs toward the bottom along the wall of thecontainer and it goes back up along axis A1 in the direction of theevacuation duct 42. This outflow makes it possible to remove the airpreviously contained in the container in a very small amount of time andin a very efficient manner. Thus, without much increasing the total timenecessary for filling a container, the contact of the product with airis diminished in a very significant way.

[0046] Due to the spout according to the invention, it is also possibleto extend the injection of the neutral gas beyond the time necessary forfilling the product, in order to complete the flushing of the space atthe head of the container with a neutral gas to prevent capturing air inthe bottle, thus in contact with the product, at the moment of sealingthe bottle.

1. Filling spout for delivering a liquid into a container, of the typein which the spout (10) comprises a delivery orifice (36, 40) of theliquid which forms an umbrella jet, and of a type in which the spout hasan axial hollow needle equipped with a gas duct (4) of which opens intothe inside of the space delimited by the umbrella jet, characterized inthat the hollow needle comprises a channel (28) supplied with gas thatopens into the inside of the space delimited by the umbrella jet andwhich projects a flow of gas that runs essentially in parallel to theumbrella jet of the liquid, on the interior of same.
 2. Filling spoutaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the gas supply channel (28)opens out into the inside of the space delimited by an umbrella jet inthe form of an annular opening.
 3. Filling spout according to claim 2,characterized in that, at the level of its opening end, the gas supplychannel (28) has a deflecting surface (46) that is essentially conical.4. Filling spout according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized inthat the evacuation duct (42) opens out axially at the center of theannular opening of the gas supply channel (28), which opens out axiallyat the center of the product delivery orifice (36, 40), which isessentially annular.
 5. Filling spout according to any one of thepreceding claims, characterized in that the gas supply channel issupplied with a gas that is neutral with respect to the product to bedelivered.
 6. Filling spout according any one of the preceding claims,characterized in that the product jet exhibits an axial rotationcomponent.
 7. Filling spout according to claim 6, characterized in thatit comprises an annular chamber (32) for causing rotation in which theproject is injected (38) with a tangential speed component, the chamberfor causing rotation (32) being extended axially by an annular duct (36)of which the opening end forms the orifice (4) for delivery of theproduct.
 8. Filling spout according to claim 7, characterized in thatthe chamber for causing rotation (32) is connected to the annular duct(36) by a funnel-shaped surface (34).
 9. Filling spout according toclaim 7, characterized in that the axial hollow needle (16, 18) passesthrough the chamber for causing rotation (32) axially.
 10. Machine forfilling containers, characterized in that it comprises at least onefilling station equipped with a filling spout conforming to any one ofthe preceding claims.